While a lawyer for Jacobs Entertainment gave a vague update on how the company is pouring money into 4th street and surrounding areas at the latest Reno City Council meeting, the news this time passed with a whimper. There were some passionate public comments against the out of state developer causing so many motels to be demolished, sadly adding that empty fenced off lots are becoming the new staple of west 4th street. The YouTube feed of the meeting cut out for those not at City Council and media barely covered it. There have been growing concerns about the role city staff has been playing in facilitating the sale of more and more properties around the converted former Sands Regency hotel, now looking impersonal from the outside like most other apartment buildings being built around Reno, just with a higher density of windows.
Here below is how one student who goes to UNR views this evolution:
As a college student who came from the East Bay Area, Reno was very different to me at first. Seeing casinos, lots of motels, and lots of nightlife felt foreign. After doing some exploring in 2019 when I first arrived in Reno, the 4th Street area seemed to embody a historic Reno. Walking distance from downtown, tons of motels and casinos with cheap food and drink deals. It almost felt like a flashback of the past and it gave me a better understanding of the city as a whole.
Flash forward to over four years since I arrived, and things look much different. Numerous empty lots are waiting to be developed. The Reno’s so-called Neon Line District seems to be an ambitious facelift. I have mixed feelings about it. On one end, I think it is great that there will be updated attractions and housing complexes in the area. On the other hand, it feels like a piece of Reno’s history is being ripped away and more historical buildings are next.
With the Glow Plaza and the updated J, it feels like the developer wants younger people who live near the university to venture towards that direction more often, once it’s all said and done.
It seems like the city wants to rebrand itself and show people who are considering moving here that Reno is a young and fun place to live.
As someone who will be in Reno for at least a few more years, I’m excited to see how this project will turn out. I’ve only visited the J once and thought they did a great job making it feel more modern. The rest of the project I have yet to explore as I feel like it just isn’t quite ready yet.
I just hope that the city finds innovative ways to integrate new developments with the historic aspects of the city. I’m sure many locals would be sad to see history slowly ripped away from them in an attempt to attract a new audience.